Heel seat insert



Oct. 25, 1955 J. A. MARlsoN 2,721,402

HEEL SEAT INSERT Filed DeO. 16, 1954 i INVENTOR.

OL njqars 0,11,

ATTE] RN EYS United States Patent C SEAT INSERTI` John A. Marison, YSanJose, Calif. Application December 16, 1954, Sierial No. 475,755

A 4 Claims. (c1. :s6-37) i This invention relates to inserts, such asinsoles of shoes, and in particular, an insert adapted to be freelypositioned in the heel of a shoe with a cover of`1eather or the like, asubstantially crescent shaped pad of resilient material, such as spongerubber, positioned around the periphery' of a heel and an intermediatepad, 'the thickness of which is less than that of the peripheral padpositioned in the center and adapted to form a seat for the heel, thesaid intermediate and peripheral pads being secured to the under surfaceof the cover.

The purpose of this invention is to provide means to compensate for thesubstantially open areas around a heel of a foot and positioned betweenthe heel and inner surface of a shoe.

The average conventional shoe does not provide a perfect t at the heelas the cross section of the heel of a foot is substantiallysemi-circular with the low part at the center and the meeting surface ofa heel of a shoe with the heel of a foot is comparatively flat. Thisleaves an open area, substantially triangular shaped in cross section,between the heel of a foot and the surface of a shoe. With this thoughtin mind, this invention contemplates an insert adapted to be freelypositioned in a shoe which provides relatively thick portionsat theedges in order to at least partially ll the open areas around the rearportion of a heel.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide an insert for theheel of a shoe which provides a iiller in the corner around the back tocompensate for the difference between the shape of a heel and the shapeof the inner surface of the heel of a shoe.

Another object of the invention is to provide an insert that provides afiller for the heel of a shoe in which the insert is frictionally heldin position whereby it is readily removable.

A further object of the invention is to provide an insert for the heelof a shoe that makes the shoe form tting in which the insert is of asimple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the inventionembodies a sheet of material, such as leather or the like, having aconvex surface at the rear and a concave surface on the forward end witha U- shaped filler pad of resilient material extended around the rearand secured to the under surface of the sheet of material and with anintermediate pad also secured to the under surface of the sheet ofmaterial and having a thickness less than that of the U-shaped pad.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description, taken in connection with the drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view looking toward the under surface of the insertshowing the insert in a flat or extended position.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the insert taken on line 2-2of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a cross section through the heel of a shoe with a foot,which is shown in elevation, positioned FPice in the shoe and with theinsert positioned to provide a filler at the sides and seat at thecenter whereby the heel of the foot'is comfortably tted in the heel ofthe shoe.

Figure 4 is a plan view showing the heel of a shoe with the inserttherein and with the forwardpart of 'the shoe broken away.

Figure 5 1is a longitudinal section through the heel of a shoe taken online 5-5 of Figurel `3 Vshowing the insert -in` the shoe and alsoshowing a portion of a heel olf'a fo'ot' positioned in the insert, theheel of the yfoot beingshown in'broken lines.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference characters denotecorresponding parts,` tli"e improved heel seat 'insert of this inventionincludes a sheet of material providing a 'cover' 10,` a U-shaped pad 11formed t extend around the rear portion of theY heelfand ari inter-ymediate'pad 12 positioned to extend'into the pad 11 Aand adapted toprovide a` seat for aV heel. i*

As illustrated in Figure l', the cover 10 is formed to extend fromapoint 13 at the rear of a heel of `shoe, forwardlylto points 14 and 15and the points 14 and 15 are"connec`t`ed with an arcuate surface 16which formed to extend forwardly of the'heel portion of a fo'o't,I asshown'in Figure 5L Withthe insert'positioned in the heel of a shoe, asshown in Figures 3 and 5, the points 14 and 15 extend upwardly so thatthey are removed from the bearing surface that takes the weight of thefoot or heel.

The pad 11, which is formed of a flexible or resilient material, such asfoam or sponge rubber and which is somewhat U-shaped, extends from apoint 17, at one side to a point 18 at the opposite side and theintermediate part is provided with an arcuate recess 19 which is shapedto correspond with the curvature of rear end surface 20 of the pad.

The intermediate pad 12, which is also formed of a flexible or resilientmaterial such as foam or sponge rubber, is provided with an arcuateprojection 21 that extends into the recess 19 of the pad 11 providing aller for the center or intermediate part of the heel and providing aseat to take the weight or load, such as the weight of a body, the heelof the foot of which is positioned in the shoe. IThe intermediate pad 12is also provided with wings 22 and 23 that extend beyond the points 17and 18 of the pad 11 and the end surface of the intermediate pad 12 isconcave, as indicated by the numeral 24, to correspond with the surface16 of the cover 10.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the intermediate pad 12 nests in thervperipheral pad 11 and the thickness of the intermediate pad isconsiderably less than that of the peripheral or heel pad 11.

With the points 14 and 15 of the cover of an insert formed asillustrated and described, wherein the points are frictionally heldagainst the inner surface of an upper 25 of a shoe having a heel 26,means is provided for resiliently retaining the insert in positionwithout adhesives or the like. By this means the insert may readily beremoved from one shoe and placed in another as shoes are changed.

It will be understood that modications, within the scope of the appendedclaims, may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A heel seat insert comprising a sheet of flexible material,semi-elliptical shaped in plan, providing a cover, a U-shaped pad ofresilient material extended around the rear portion of the cover andpositioned on the under surface thereof and secured to the undersurfaceof said cover, and an intermediate pad, also of resilient material andthe thickness of which is less than that of the U- shaped pad positionedin the intermediate part of the cover and also located on the undersurface of said cover and secured to the undersurface thereof in spacedrelation to said U-shaped pad.

2. In a heel insert, the combination which comprises a sheet of leather,having a convex edge at one end and a concave edge at the opposite end,a U-shaped pad of resilient material extended around a portion of theconvex end of the sheet of leather and secured thereto, and anintermediate pad, the thickness of which is less than that of theU-shaped pad, secured to the intermediate portion of the sheet ofleather in spaced relation to said U-shaped pad and both intermediateand U-shaped pads being positioned on the under surface of said sheet ofleather.

3. In a heel insert, the combination which comprises a sheet of flexiblematerial, semi-elliptical shaped in plan providing a cover, asubstantially U-shaped pad of resilient material extended around theperipheral edge of the rear portion of the cover and secured to theunder surface thereof, and an intermediate pad having wings at the endsand a projection positioned to extend into the intermediate portion ofthe U-shaped pad, the thickness of the intermediate pad being less thanthat of the U-shaped pad and said intermediate pad being also secured tothe under surface of the cover.

4. In a heel insert, the combination which comprises a sheet of flexiblematerial, semi-elliptical shaped in plan providing a cover, asubstantially U-shaped pad of resilient material extended around theperipheral edge of the rear portion of the cover and secured to theunder surface thereof, and an intermediate pad having Wings at the endsand a projection positioned to extend into the intermediate portion ofthe U-shaped pad, the thickness of the intermediate pad being less thanthat of the U-shaped pad and said intermediate pad being also secured tothe under surface of the cover, the Width of said insert being greaterthan that of the heel of a shoe in which the insert is adapted to beused whereby portions at the sides of the insert are adapted to befrictionally held by resiliency inherent in the insert against innersurfaces of the heel of the shoe for retaining the insert in position insaid heel of a shoe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS792,688 Bliss June 20, 1905 912,579 Krech Feb. 16, 1909 1,055,768 LeveeMar. 11, 1913 1,593,755 Davidson July 27, 1926 1,721,714 Ross July 23,1929 1,765,849 Ray June 24, 1930 2,255,100 Brady Sept. 9, 1941

